Dedicated Server Settings

Ark Dedicated Server Setup For Windows & Linux

There are several settings for controlling and configuring you Ark Survival Evolved Dedicated Server. This is a list of the currently available settings.

Listing and explanation of various settings for Ark Survival Evolved Dedicated Servers.

To make things easier we have created a set of configuration tools that allow quick and easy generation of the code you need to modify your server. A complete list of these tools can be found here: Game & Server Customization

This tool can also be used for Single Player & Non-Dedicated Sessions. For information on customization in these situations and for information on what customization can do for you in general please see this page: Balancing Ark For Your Play Style

Two Methods Of Changing The Settings

To change these settings you have two primary methods available. The first is to add to the command line for launching the server. For temporary changes and testing settings this is not a bad solution.

An example of using the command line method would be:

ShooterGameServer TheIsland?listen?ServerPVE=True?ServerPassword=YourServerPassword

For the most part, a server setting can be changed in this way simply by adding ?SettingName=SettingValue to the command line.

For more permanent changes, your best bet is to edit the server configuration file. You can find it in one of the following two locations, depending on which type of server you are running:

/pathto/yourarkserver/ShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/GameUserSettings.ini

C:\pathto\yourarkserver\ShooterGame\Saved\Config\WindowsServer\GameUserSettings.ini

The Server Settings

You should not touch the first part of the settings file unless you know what these settings do. Settings that are of importance to administrators are broken into groups at the bottom of the file.

[ServerSettings]
ShowMapPlayerLocation=False
ServerHardcore=False
GlobalVoiceChat=False
ProximityChat=False
NoTributeDownloads=False
AllowThirdPersonPlayer=False
DontAlwaysNotifyPlayerJoined=False
ServerPVE=True
ServerCrosshair=False
ServerForceNoHUD=False
ServerPassword=ServerPassword
ServerAdminPassword=ServerAdminPassword
DifficultyOffset=0
MaxStructuresInRange=1300.000000
EnablePvPGamma=False
bDisableStructureDecayPvE=False
bAllowFlyerCarryPvE=False
AlwaysNotifyPlayerLeft=True

[SessionSettings]
SessionName=You rArk Server's Name

[/Script/Engine.GameSession]
MaxPlayers=70

[MessageOfTheDay]
Message=Your Server's Welcome Message

GameUserSettings.ini Setting Descriptions

Below is a list of the settings in GameUserSettings.ini, along with their default values and a description of what they mean. Please be aware that we have also created a few tools that allow easy configuration and code generation for these settings. You can find a complete listing of these tools at the bottom of this page.

Setting & Description
alwaysNotifyPlayerJoined

Boolean Value & Default is False
If True players will always get notified when someone joins the server.

alwaysNotifyPlayerLeft

Boolean Value & Default Value is False
If True players will always be notified when someone leaves the server

allowThirdPersonPlayer

Boolean Value & Default is False
If True players will be able to use third person view

globalVoiceChat

Boolean & Default Value is False
If True voice chat will be global, meaning all players on the server, everywhere.

ShowMapPlayerLocation

Value is Boolean & Default is False
If True players will be able to see thier position on the map

noTributeDownloads

Value is Boolean & Default is True
If True players will not be allowed to download thier characters and dinos from other servers.

proximityChat

Value is Boolean & Default is False
True will only allow players close to text chat with each other in game. If False players will see all text chat mesasges regardless of where they are.

serverHardcore

Value is Boolean & Default is False
If True players will restart at level 1 should they die.

serverForceNoHud

Value is Boolean & Default is False
If True the Hud will be disabled.

AllowFlyerCarryPvE

Value is Boolean & Default is False
If True flying Dinos will be able to pick up other players and dinos when mounted by a player.

MaxStructuresInRange

Value is an Integer & Default is 1300
Specifies the maximum number of structures that can be constructed within a certain (may still be hard-coded) range.

DifficultyOffset

Value is a Float & Default is 4
Specifies the difficulty level (0-4 Currently Supported. Higher is harder.).

bUseSingleplayerSettings

Value is a boolean and default is false
Sets the server to use single player difficulty settings

ServerPassword

Value is a String and by default there is no value entered.
If set players will have to provide the password to join the server.

ServerAdminPassword

Value is a String & by Default there is no value entered
For security reasons you should specify a password to help prevent people from using admin commands.

SpectatorPassword

Value is a String and by default no value is entered.
To enable non-administrative spectating you need to create a password here.

DayCycleSpeedScale

Value is a Float and default is 1.

Specifies the scaling factor for the passage of time in the ARK controlling how often day changes to night and night changes to day. 1 is the default. Values lower than 1 slow down the cycle; higher values accelerate it. Base time when value is 1 appears to be 1 minute real time equals approx. 28 minutes game time. Thus for an approximate 24 hour day/night cycle in game use .035 for the value.

NightTimeSpeedScale

Value is a Float and Default is 1
Specifies the scaling factor for the passage of time in the ARK during night time. This value determines the length of each night relative to the length of each day (as specified byDayTimeSpeedScale. Lowering this value increases the length of each night.

DayTimeSpeedScale

Value is a Float & Default is 1
Specifies the scaling factor for the passage of time in the ARK during the day. This value determines the length of each day relative to the length of each night (as specified byNightTimeSpeedScale. Lowering this value increases the length of each day.

DinoDamageMultiplier

Value is a Float & Default is 1
Modifies the damage dinosaurs deal with their attacks. The default value 1 provides normal damage. Higher values increase damage. Lower values decrease it.

I have created a custom tool to help you quickly generate the code to adjust these settings here:
Character & Dino Stats Customization Tool

PlayerDamageMultiplier

Value is a Float and Default is 1
Modifies damage players deal with their attacks. The default value 1 provides normal damage. Higher values increase damage. Lower values decrease it.

I have created a custom tool to help you quickly generate the code to adjust these settings here:

Character & Dino Stats Customization Tool

StructureDamageMultiplier

Value is a Float and Default is 1
Modifies damage structures deal with their attacks eg spiked walls and turrets). The default value 1 provides normal damage. Higher values increase damage. Lower values decrease it.

I have created a custom tool to help you quickly generate the code to adjust these settings here:
Character & Dino Stats Customization Tool (Does structure damage and a few other things as well)

PlayerResistanceMultiplier

Value is a Float and Default is 1
Modifies the resistance to damage players receive when attacked. The default value 1 provides normal damage. Higher values decrease resistance increasing damage. Lower values increase it reducing damage per attack. A value of 0.5 results in a player taking half damage while a value of 2.0 would result in taking double normal damage.

I have created a custom tool to help you quickly generate the code to adjust these settings here:
Character & Dino Stats Customization Tool

DinoResistanceMultiplier

Value is a Float and Default is 1
Modifies the resistance to damage dinosaurs receive when attacked. The default value 1 provides normal damage. Higher values decrease resistance increasing damage. Lower values increase it reducing damage per attack. A value of 0.5 results in a dino taking half damage while a value of 2.0 would result in a dino taking double normal damage.

I have created a custom tool to help you quickly generate the code to adjust these settings here:
Character & Dino Stats Customization Tool

StructureResistanceMultiplier

Value is a Float and Default is 1
Modifies the resistance to damage structures receive when attacked. The default value 1 provides normal damage. Higher values decrease resistance increasing damage. Lower values increase it reducing damage per attack. A value of 0.5 results in a structure taking half damage while a value of 2.0 would result in a structure taking double normal damage.

I have created a custom tool to help you quickly generate the code to adjust these settings here:
Character & Dino Stats Customization Tool

XPMultiplier

Value is a Float & Default is 1
Modifies experience received by players tribes and dinosaurs for various actions. Higher values increase XP amounts awarded for various actions and lower values decrease it.

I have created a custom tool to help you quickly generate the code to adjust these settings here:
Character & Dino Stats Customization Tool

PvEStructureDecayPeriodMultiplier

Value is a Float & Default is 1
Specifies the scaling factor for the decay rate of player structures in PvE mode.

PvEStructureDecayDestructionPeriod

Value is a Float and Default is 1
Specifies the time required for player structures to decay in PvE mode.

Setting this to 0 prevents structures from decaying.

TamingSpeedMultiplier

Value is a Float & Default is 1
Controls dinosaur taming speed. Higher values make taming faster.

I have created a tool to quickly create the code you need to adjust Taming. You can find it here:
Taming Configuration Tool

HarvestAmountMultiplier

Value is a Float and Default is 1.
Alters yields from all harvesting activities. Higher values increase the amount of materials harvested with each strike.

I have created a tool that allows you to quickly and easily generate the code to adjust resource harvesting and spawning. You can find it here:
Harvest Amounts & Spoiling Time Tool

HarvestHealthMultiplier

Value is a Float and Default is 1
Changes the health of items that can be harvested (trees rocks etc.). Higher values means these items can take more damage before being destroyed.

I have created a tool that allows you to quickly and easily generate the code to adjust resource harvesting and spawning. You can find it here:
Harvest Amounts & Spoiling Time Tool

ResourcesRespawnPeriodMultiplier

Value is a Float & Default is 1
Lower values makes resources respawn faster while high values slow respawn of resources.

I have created a tool that allows you to quickly and easily generate the code to adjust resource harvesting and spawning. You can find it here:
Harvest Amounts & Spoiling Time Tool

PlayerCharacterHealthRecoveryMultiplier

Value is a Float and Default is 1
Higher values gives faster healing while lower values slow healing.

I have created a custom tool to help you quickly generate the code to adjust these settings here:
Character & Dino Stats Customization Tool

DinoCharacterFoodDrainMultiplier

Value is a Float and Default is 1
Dinos get hungry faster with higher values and they get hungry slower with lower values.

I have created a custom tool to help you quickly generate the code to adjust these settings here:
Character & Dino Stats Customization Tool

DinoCharacterHealthRecoveryMultiplier

Value is a Float and Default is 1
Higher values increase healing speed. Lower values slow it.

I have created a custom tool to help you quickly generate the code to adjust these settings here:
Character & Dino Stats Customization Tool

DinoCountMultiplier

Value is a Float and Default is 1
Higher values spawns more Dinos while Lower values span fewer Dinos.

I have created a tool that allows you to quickly and easily adjust Dino Spawning. You can find it here:
Dino Spawn Configuration Tool

AllowCaveBuildingPvE

Value is a Boolean & Default is False
If set to True allows building in caves when PvE mode is also enabled. This is set to False for PVE because players can block caves with structures and no one can destroy these structures.

BanListURL

String in double quotes. Eg "http://mysite.com/mybanlist.txt"
Default is http://playark.com/banlist.txt

Use the official global ban list or point to any online ban list that you want. Must be enclosed in double quotes. While using the offical ban list or another url, you can still ban people and generate a custom ban list which will also be used. It is highly recommended to use the official ban list in addition to your own.

bPvEAllowTribeWar=true

Capability for Tribes to officially declare war on each other for mutually-agreed-upon period of time. Default is true.

bPvEAllowTribeWarCancel=false

Allow Tribes to canel an agreed-upon war before it starts. Default is False.

Game.ini Setting Descriptions

Ok, here is where it gets ugly. I've put this into a table below. And below that you'll find the more complex settings listed one by one with detailed information. Some of these settings are mammoth and may result in hundreds of lines of code. As a result, in addition to a simple description, I have created tools to help you configure these ones. These tools allow you to simply enter the values you want into handy labeled boxes and then generate the code you need. You will also find the information you need, or links to the information you need, to create the code by hand, if you prefer.

Setting & Description
OverrideEngramEntries=(EngramIndex=Integer,EngramHidden=TrueFalse,EngramPointsCost=Integer,EngramLevelRequirement=Integer,RemoveEngramPreReq=TrueFalse)

This one is tricky. Please see notes below this table.

DinoSpawnWeightMultipliers=(DinoNameTag=<tag>,SpawnWeightMultiplier=Integer,OverrideSpawnLimitPercentage=TrueFalse,SpawnLimitPercentage=Integer)

Customizes the spawning rate for a given dinosaur type (at all dinosaur spawn points). Types with a larger SpawnWeightMultiplier are selected more often when spawning new dinosaurs than types with lower multipliers. When OverrideSpawnLimitPercentage is specified (and true), the type will never be spawned more than SpawnLimitPercentage * 100 percent of the time, regardless of multiplier. For example, a SpawnLimitPercentage of 0.25 specifies that the type will be selected for spawning no more than 25% of the time. Please see notes below table.

OverridePlayerLevelEngramPoints=<points>

Used withLevelExperienceRampOverrides. Please see notes below this table.

GlobalSpoilingTimeMultiplier=<value>

Value is Float & Default is 1
Global Spoiling Time Modifier. Higher values make things take longer to spoil.

I have created a tool that allows you to quickly and easily adjust Spoiling, & Harvesting. You can find it here:
Harvest Amounts & Spoiling Time Tool

GlobalItemDecompositionTimeMultiplier=<value>

Value is Float and Default is 1
Adjusts despawn time of dropped items, loot bags, etc. Higher vaules make things take longer to despawn.

I have created a tool that allows you to quickly and easily adjust Spoiling, & Harvesting. You can find it here:
Harvest Amounts & Spoiling Time Tool

GlobalCorpseDecompositionTimeMultiplier=<value>

Value is a Float & Default is 1
Scales player and dino corpse decomposition time. Higher values mean things take longer to decompose (despawn).

I have created a tool that allows you to quickly and easily adjust Spoiling, & Harvesting. You can find it here:
Harvest Amounts & Spoiling Time Tool

HarvestResourceItemAmountClassMultipliers=(ClassName="<classname>",Multiplier=<value>)

You can use this to adjust the amount of resources harvested per strike. For example instead of 1 Metal you could set it to 3, and get 3 Metal.

I have a complete list of harvestable resource classes here:
Harvestable Resource Classes

I also have a tool that allows you to quickly edit the settings for all harvestable resources classes here:
Harvest Amounts & Spoiling Time Tool

OverrideMaxExperiencePointsPlayer=<value>
OverrideMaxExperiencePointsDino=<value>

Used with LevelExperienceRampOverrides
See Notes Below This Table
(sets new Xp cap)
Please see notes below this table.

LevelExperienceRampOverrides=(ExperiencePointsForLevel[<n>]=<points>
[,ExperiencePointsForLevel[<n>]=<points>][,ExperiencePointsForLevel[<n>]=<points>])

Used to create custom Level, Xp, & Engram Point system for players. Please see notes below this table.

NPCReplacements=(FromClassName="<classname>",ToClassName="<classname>")

You can for example have the game spawn Dodo instead of T-Rex. Or simply have it spawn nothing by leaving the second classname entry blank.

Easy configuration tool here:
Dino Spawn Configuration Tool

ResourceNoReplenishRadiusPlayers=<value>
ResourceNoReplenishRadiusStructures=<value>

Value is Float & Default is 1
Allow resources to regrow closer or further away from players or structures. Values less than 1 will reduce this radius allowing resources to regrow/respawn closer.

I have created a tool that allows you to quickly and easily adjust These settings as well as other resource spawn and harvesting settings. You can find it here:
Harvest Amounts & Spoiling Time Tool

bIncreasePvPRespawnInterval=<Boolean>;

Value is Boolean & Default is True
Used with the next 3 options to help prevent sacrifical players from depleting auto-turret ammo.

IncreasePvPRespawnIntervalCheckPeriod=<value1>;
Value is Float & Default is 300
IncreasePvPRespawnIntervalMultiplier=<value2>;

Value is Float & Default is 2
Used with bIncreasePvPRespawnInterval

IncreasePvPRespawnIntervalBaseAmount=<value3>;

Value is Float & Default is 60
Used With bIncreasePvPRespawnInterval

bAutoPvETimer=<Boolean1>

Including this and the 3 commands that follows allows you to set your server to automatically switch between PVP and PVE.

bAutoPvEUseSystemTime=<Boolean2>

If true then the following two value lines run off the server clock. If false then the following two values will run off in game time.

AutoPvEStartTimeSeconds=<value1>

Time in seconds when PvE mode starts. Value is 0-86400. Yes, there are 86400 seconds in a day. Count starts at midnight.

AutoPvEStopTimeSeconds=<value2>

Time in seconds when PvE mode Ends. Value is 0-86400. Yes, there are 86400 seconds in a day, count starts at midnight.

bPvEDisableFriendlyFire=true

Value is Boolean & Default is True
Enable or disable friendly fire on PvE Servers.

PerLevelStatsMultiplier_Player[<attribute>]=<multiplier>
PerLevelStatsMultiplier_DinoTamed[<attribute>]=<multiplier>
PerLevelStatsMultiplier_DinoWild[<attribute>]=<multiplier>

Attribues: 0 = Health, 1 = Stamina, 2 = Torpidity, 3 = Oxygen, 4 = Food, 5 = Water, 6 = Temperature, 7 = Weight, 8 = Melee Damage Multiplier, 9 = Speed Multiplier, 10 = Temperature Fortitude, 11 = Crafting Speed

Affects the amount of stats gained each level. 0.01 nearly disables stat gain.
Example on level up if you click + next to Heatlh it will go up 10 points. Set this to 2.0 and you'll get 20 instead.

I have created a tool that allows you to easy adjust all of these settings. You can find it here:
PerLevelStatsMultiplier Tool

MatingIntervalMultiplier=1.0

Higher numbers make Dinos mate more frequently, while lower numbers make them mate less frequently.

EggHatchSpeedMultiplier=1.0

Eggs will hatch faster with higher numbers, and slower with lower numbers.

BabyMatureSpeedMultiplier=1.0

Babies grow up faster with higher numbers, and slower with lower numbers.

MatingIntervalMultiplier=1.0

Controls the time between allowed mating interactions. (only affects females)
Higher values make a longer wait, lower values decrease the wait time.

EggHatchSpeedMultiplier=1.0

Controls the speed at which fertilized eggs hatch. Higher values make them hatch faster while lower values make them hatch slower.

BabyMatureSpeedMultiplier=1.0

Controls the speed at which babies mature. Higher values increase the speed while lower values decrease it.

bAllowCustomRecipes=false

Set to false to disable custom recipes. Seems somewhat pointless since the custom recipes cannot affect game balance just creativity.

bPassiveDefensesDamageRiderlessDinos=true
allow or disallow spike walls to damage wild/riderless Dinos

Notes for Game.ini Settings

As previously mentioned, it got ugly. Some of these settings are simply enormous to implement. Below you'll find some examples for some of these ones. For others, you'll also find links to simple tools I have built to take the sting out of doing the code by hand.

OverrideEngramEntries

To calculate the index of an Engram, you have to be in game and have the engrams view open. Then from left to right, row after row, count the engrams. 1, 2, 3, etc. Yeah, I know; it's a big job, but that is the way it is. Also note that when the developers added an engram in an update, you just had to start counting all over again! The same is true when you add a mod with custom engrams. Once you know the index of the engram you want to modify, the values work like this: Hidden is true or false. If true, then players cannot select this engram because they won't even see it. Point cost is the number of Engram Points required to purchase it. Engram Level Requirement is the level a player must be to unlock the engram. Remove engram prereq is an odd one. I've seen it misrepresented in several places. Here's an example: to make a pistol you need to have learned to make a flare gun. If you remove the prerequisite, then all the engrams required to learn the engram would be removed. Like a wood foundation would no longer require you to learn a thatch foundation. Here is an example of overriding an Engram's default settings:

OverrideEngramEntries=(EngramIndex=1,EngramHidden=False,EngramPointsCost=10,EngramLevelRequirement=3,RemoveEngramPreReq=True)

I have created a simple tool that will generate the code you need. You can find it here: Engram Configuration Tool

I also have an up-to-date list of the Engrams and their Indexes here: Engram Index

LevelExperienceRampOverrides

LevelExperienceRampOverrides=(ExperiencePointsForLevel[<n>]=<points>[,ExperiencePointsForLevel[<n>]=<points>]

This is one very complex setting. First off, the line above must be used twice in a row, once for player progression and once for dino progression. You need to specify every level for each on the single line. Don't panic, I've put together a simple tool that will allow you to generate all the code you need. And if you'd rather do it yourself, that's fine too. You can easily enter simple data into the tool and see how the code comes out to manually do the code yourself.

Once you have constructed the above mentioned two lines, you then need to add a line for each level of the player to set the engram points. So if you have 500 levels, you've gotta do 500 lines, one after another. The base code is:

OverridePlayerLevelEngramPoints=<points>

After that you then need to specify a new max xp level for both players and dinos. You do that using:

OverrideMaxExperiencePointsPlayer=<value>
OverrideMaxExperiencePointsDino=<value>

Please note, I have created a tool here that allows you to enter the level,xp, and engram data for player progression, as well as level and xp data for dino progression, here: Custom Levels Tool. This tool will also automatically generate the code required for the max xp values, in addition to all the other code you will need. It's an all-in-one solution for custom levels, xp, and engram rewards.

PerLevelStatsMultiplier_?

I have created 2 tools that quickly generate the code that you require to modify these settings quickly and easily.

The first is the PerLevelStatsMultiplier Tool, which only generates the code required to adjust the PerLevelStatsMultipliers.

The second is the Custom Levels Tool, which allows configuration of these settings, plus levels, engram points, xp progression, and xp cap.

Current Configuration Code Generation Tools

This is a list of simple web-based tools that will quickly and easily generate the code required to customize the various settings of your Ark Survival Evolved Server:

Engram Configuration Tool
Dino Spawn Configuration Tool
Taming Configuration Tool
Character & Dino Stats Customization Tool
Harvest Amounts & Spoiling Time Tool
Custom Levels Tool
PerLevelStatsMultiplier Tool